I almost didn’t plant a vegetable garden this year because I didn’t think it was worth the effort for a “small garden”. However, over the last 2 months, our vegetable garden has gone from drab to fab… and I’m so glad I planted the garden even though it’s not perfect or all that pretty.

If you’ve been putting off a particular project because you’re not sure you can do it perfectly, I hope today’s post will offer a little motivation and encouragement to help you just get started!

Last spring, I transplanted lilies from my Great-Grandparents’ dairy farm… and they didn’t look so great. This year, however, they are thriving with huge blooms and an amazing scent that fills our yard!

It’s amazing what a difference just one year makes — with our flowers, our children, our careers, our own personal lives, etc. etc. Read more of my thoughts in today’s post!

I usually don’t share many spring photos of our landscape because everything is still so small and uncolorful… but after planting a bunch of annuals 2 weeks ago, so many of you have asked for pictures!

Although the plants are all still very small and the annuals need to fill in A LOT, I figured it might be fun to share a handful of spring pictures — and then follow up with the same areas later this summer or fall to see how much bigger everything got!

Over the past few years, Dave and I have dealt with our fair share of pest issues — everything from bats and bees to moles and mice. However, THIS year, we’re taking some preventative measures that will hopefully keep the pests out all spring and summer long.

I’m also sharing how the act of “prevention” has helped me to simplify and de-stress my life!

Now that we essentially have our yard set up the way we want it and our planting beds arranged accordingly, the next thing on my “to do someday list” is to add a bunch of decorative elements to our landscaping.

I realize it might sound a little crazy to “decorate our landscape” but as you’ll hopefully see by the pictures in this post, a few non-plant elements really add A LOT to the look and feel of our outdoor spaces.

I’ve come to accept that a few weeds will ALWAYS be lurking in our planting beds; however, after 4 LONG summers of intense landscape renovations and lots and lots of weeding, Dave and I finally feel like we have a pretty decent system for dealing with the weeds we have AND preventing the majority of “weed seeds” from germinating.

I’ve been asked over and over and OVER again if I would share a “Master List” of all the trees, shrubs, and perennials we planted… and since that would actually be really helpful for me to look back on as well, I figured it was time I compiled a list.

So, since spring is practically just around the corner (wishful thinking, maybe!) I’ve decided to share that list today!

No, we’re not completely finished with everything on our “summer to-do list” but we have been making REALLY good progress over the past 10-12 weeks!

Although I can’t share all the official “after” photos just yet (because we’re not quite finished) I CAN share a whole bunch of “progress” photos so we can celebrate how far we’ve come in only a few weeks!

The last 2 weeks have been a crazy whirlwind of hustle and bustle around the Dekker house as we have officially kicked off our 2015 “project season”.

It’s a bit earlier than we normally start working on projects, but with a new baby due around the end of June / early July, we felt the need to start early. Today, I’m sharing our plans (and some of our progress)!